Timing mechanism for measuring the duration of the draw of a firearm



' A. THOMAS 2,972,203

ING MECHANIS R MEASURING THE RATION OF THE D W OF A FIREARM I I 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 21, 1961 Filed March 27, 1959 mm vm INVENTOR Thomaswillow. Alden Feb. 21, 1961 w, THOMAS 2,972,203

TIMING MECHANISM FOR MEASURING THE DURATION OF THE DRAW OF A FIREARMFiled March 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-Q5 FIG. 4

INVENTOR T h om 0 s 7 V Afi- RNEY TIMING MECHANISM FOR MEASURING THEDURATION OF THE DRAW OF A FIREARM Willard Alden Thomas, Cincinnati,Ohio, assignor to Kilgore, Inc., Westerville, Ohio, a corporation ofOhio Filed Mar. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 802,357

6 Claims. (Cl. 421) This invention relates generally to firearms andmore particularly to a firearm provided with a device for indicating theelapsed time interval between drawing the firearm and actuating thetrigger.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel combination ofa pistol and timing device for the purpose of timing the duration of adraw, i.e., the time interval from the time the firearm is grasped untilit is fired.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combinationtiming device and firearm wherein the firearm is in the form of a toypistol and in which a contest or game may evolve from utilizing thenovel structure.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, which show one embodiment of the invention, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the principal parts of theinventon, with portions being broken away for clarity, and with theoutline of the firearm handle being shown by phantom lines;

Fig; 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the novel firearmshowing the indicia means for indicating the time lapse during the draw;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the position of the partsafter the handle of the firearm has been grasped, the timing means hasbeen activated and the trigger is being pulled;

Fig. 4 is a view simlar to Figs. 1 and 3, illustrating the position ofthe parts upon firing and deactivation of the timing means;

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig- 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic view of the timing gearrelative to the cooperating escapement portion of the timing means;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 77 of Fig. 4;and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of a support plate of theinvention.

The firearm in accordance with the present invention includes a timingmeans, actuating means for setting the timing means into operation whenthe handle of the firearm is grasped when removing it from the holsterprior to firing; deactivating means for stopping the timing meansoperated in response to the firearm being fired; and indicia means onthe firearm indicating the elapsed time between the actuation and thedeactuation of the timing means. Although the drawings illustrate a toypistol, it should be understood that this invention can be applied toany firearm for training purposes and the like.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a fragmentary handle portion of atoy pistol adapted for the firing of percussion caps is indicatedgenerally at 10. A hammer 12 adapted to strike the cap is pivotallymounted on a transverse shaft 14 to be pivoted thereabout during firingof the toy pistol. The hammer includes a laterally extending 2,972,203Patented Feb. 21, 1961 stub shaft 16 upon which is journalled the upperend of a depening link element 18 which terminates in an off-set portion20. The link element 18 is limited in its clockwise movement on thehammer by a laterally projecting stop pin 22 and is biased toward thisstop pin 22 by a suitable link spring 24 extending around notched outportion 26 of the hammer and the upper surfaces of the link element 1.8.

Mounted on a transverse support shaft 30 is trigger 32 including aprojecting step or point 34 engageable with the lower portion of thehammer 12 when the trigger is moved rearwardly during firing.

Mounted on a transverse support shaft 36 is an actuating lever 38 whichis arcuate and substantially conforms with the shape of the undersurfaceof the handle of the gun. The handle is cut out at 40 to permit pivotedmovement of the lever and a hair pin spring 42 is circumposed about theshaft 36, one end 44 of the spring engaging the lever 38 to urge itoutwardly, the other end 46 of the spring engaging beneath a transversepin 48. The lever 38 has fixed thereto near its free end a rearwardlyprojecting abutment portion 50 which includes an upwardly disposed step52 and a depending projection 53 the function of which will be describedhereafter.

Mounted on the shaft 48 is a depending brake link 54, an intermediateportion of which abuttingly engages a pin 55, whereby a lower angulatedend 56 thereof is urged toward a position to control the operation of atiming assembly indicated generally at 58. The brake link has secured toits underside a laterally projecting element 60, slotted at 62 andcapable of receiving the lower stepped portion 20 of the link 18therethrough.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be noted that during the normal position oftheparts, the lever 38 is urged away from the handle by spring 42, andthe projection 53 on the abutment portion 50 engages a stop 64 on thehandle. The step portion 20 of the link 18 is disposed in the slot 62and the brake link 54 is biased downwardly or toward the timing assembly58 with its lower portion 56 engaging one of the teeth of the indicatorwheel to prevent rotation of the same. 7

The timing assembly in this exemplary embodiment is disclosed as oneutilizing a conventional escapement mechanism and coil spring, however,it is considered to be within the purview of the invention to use othertiming assemblies. The timing assembly 58 comprises a main support shaft66 extending between a mounting plate 68 and a plate 70 spacedtherefrom. The shaft 66 is knurled throughout its length and has securedthereto one end of a convoluted spring 72 which is anchored at its otherend in a surrounding housing 74 projecting laterally from the mountingplate 68. Fixed to the shaft 66 for rotation is an indicator wheel 76which includes peripheral indicia visible through an opening 78 in theleft side of the handle 10. The opening 78 includes a magnifying glass80 to aid in reading the indicia on the wheel 76. Thus when theindicator wheel is rotated in a clockwise direction, the spring iswound.

Also mounted on the shaft 66 is a timing gear 82 which A such escapementmechanisms, permits a step-by-step rotation of the wheel 76. The loweror butt end of the handle is open at 94 to permit manual engagement ofthe periphery of the wheel 76 and the rewinding of the spring 172.

The wheel 76 will turn counter-clockwise during a timing operation andincludes a laterally projecting stop pin- 85 engageable with an abutmentportion on the plate 70 which serves to orient the indicia at a readingbefore the opening 78. The wheel 76 is toothed and calibrated in 50increments equivalent to two-hundredths of a second each, and the dialwill make one revolution in one second. The handle, as will be seen inFig. 2, has an indicator portion 94 readily alignable with the. indiciacalibrations 96 on the indicator wheel 76 running from zero to ten, withfour Witness marks between each'digit.

Operation of the device is as follows: First of all, the indicator wheel76 is wound in a clockwise direction back to the zero setting by thumbaction on the lower portion of the indicator wheel extending through thehandle portion at the base of the gun butt. The toy gun is then housedin a holster. At this point, the parts are, disposed in thepositionsshown in Fig. 1 with the actuating lever 38. spaced from the handle 10,and the lower portion 56 of the brake link 54 in engagement with theteeth of the indicator wheel 76, thus preventing rotation thereof. Whenthe signal is given, the toy gun is. drawn from the holster, aimed andfired. Upon drawing the toy gun from the holster the handle is graspedthereby depressing the lever 38 against the handle to the position shownin Fig. 3. When this occurs, the brake link 54 is moved away from theindicator wheel 76 allowing the wheel to rotate in a counter-clockwisedirection. The movement of the brake link 54 is actuated by action ofthe movement of the portion 50 of the lever 38 against the brake linkportion 60. The speed of rotation of the indicator wheel is controlledby the escapement mechanism includ ing the counter balanced oscillatortiming gear 82 and the convoluted spring 72. A step-hy-step rotationalmove.- ment is permitted in the usual manner of escapements by action ofthe oscillator 86 on the timing gear 82. The number of teeth on thetiming gear determines the time increments of escapement.

When the trigger 32 is pulled, the counter-clockwise revolution of theindicator wheel 76 is stopped as follows. The pulling back of thetrigger 32 causes the trigger point 34 to rotate in a counter-clockwisedirection about the trigger pivot 30. This in turn rotates the hammer 12in a clockwise direction about the hammer pivot 14, as shown in Fig. 3,the link 18, which is attached and pivoted to the hammer 12, moves downthrough the brake link slot 62 and is then forced by the link spring 24'to move toward the lever 38 engaging the brake link element 60. Thehammer 12 revolves in a clockwise direction until the continuedrevolution of the trigger point 34 causes the hammer point to'fall fromthe trigger point, as shown in Fig. 4. The hammer spring then forces thehammer to return to its original position. This causes the link 18 tomove up lifting the brake link element 60 from the step 52 on the lever38 and permits engagement of the brake link end 56 with the indicatorwheel 76 stopping the rotation.

As the hammer continues its motion to the rest position the stop pin 22forces the link 18 away from engagement with the brake link allowing thebrake link element 60 to fall on the upper step 52 of the lever 38 asbest shown in Fig. 1.

The time of the action can now be read from the indicator wheel throughthe opening 78 in the side of the handle.

Upon release'of the lever 38, the lever spring 42 forces it away fromthe mechanism allowing the brake link element 60 to drop to the step.Upon release of the trigger 32, the trigger spring, not shown, returnsthe trigger point to its original position. The indicator wheel 76 cannow be rewound and the full cycle repeated.

It is apparent that a pair of these toy pistols can be utilized by twocontestants to determine which contestant has the faster draw.

Although the novel combination has been described in connection with toypistols, it is apparent that such a:

mechanism can beembodied in any type of firearm to give readings inthe:timeof' draw. This is useful in training police ofiicers, soldiers andothers who must be proficient in a'rapid' draw.

It is contemplated that other types of timers can be substituted for theescapement mechanism illustrated, such as pneumatic timers or inertiatimers. It is only necessary that the timer be included within thefirearm structure, that it is actuated by the: drawing, of the gun, thatit be deactuated by firing the trigger, and that means be provided forindicating the elapsed time.

The initiation or activation of the timer can be accomlished by othermeans than is shown in the drawings.

It is contemplated that in place of the lever 38, other structure can beutilized. For example, a button on the side of the gun could beprovided,which is forced into a closed position as the gun isplaced inthe holster. Thus, the instant the gun is drawn from the holster, thebutton snaps outwardly and the timer is actuated. A dog mechanism can beprovided with such a button arrangement, so that the depressing of thebutton resets the dog mechanism allowing, the timer to start when thebutton is released.

Another method of actuating the timer mechanism contemplated by thisinvention is the use of a button on the side of the gun which can beheldldepressed by the user, and when a signal is given the user releasesthe button to permit the timer to start. Other mechanisms to activatethe timer mechanism are within the broad scope of this invention.

It. will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention and thereforethe invention is not limitedto what is shown in the drawings anddescribed in the specification, but only as indicated in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pistol including a trigger operated hammer and a handle, atiming assembly in said handle and including an indicia portion forindicating increments of elapsed time, an actuating lever pivotallymounted on said handle and depressible when said pistol is grasped,brake means operatively connecting said actuating lever to said timingassembly whereby said timing assembly is activated in response todepression of said lever, and linkage means operatively connected tosaid brake means and said hammer for stopping operation of said timingassembly in response to firing movement of said hammer whereby saidindicia portion indicates the elapsed time between grasping the handleand the firing of the pistol.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said timing assembly includes anindicia reset portion accessible from the exterior of said pistol handlefor resetting the indicia portion to a zero position after eachoperation, a spring operatively connected to said indicia portion, saidspring being rewound in response to resetting of said indicia portion tothe zero position.

I 3. The structure of claim 2 in which said timing assembly includes atiming gear, said spring being operatively connected to said timinggear, and an escapement control operatively connected to said timinggear to' permit step-by-step movement of said timing gear and saidindicia portion during the period between drawing and firing of saidpistol.

4. In a pistol including a trigger operated firing means and a handle,timing means mounted on said pistol and including an indicia portion forindicating increments of elapsed time, an actuating lever mounted onsaid handle anddepressible when said pistol is grasped, said actuatinglever beingoperatively. connected to said timing means for actuatingoperation of said timing means when said lever is depressed, meansoperatively connecting said 5 indicates the elapsed time betweengrasping the handle and the firing of the pistol.

5. The structure of claim 4 in which said timing means includes anindicia reset portion accessible from the exterior of said pistol forresetting the indicia portion to a zero position after each operation, aspring operatively connected to said indicia portion, said spring beingrewound in response to resetting of said indicia portion to the zeroposition.

6. The structure of claim 5 in which said timing means includes a timinggear, said spring being operatively connected to said timing gear, andan escapement control References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,083,917 Bryce Jan. 13, 1914 10 2,643,476 Kilgore June30, 1953 2.869.873 Tornabene Jan. 20. 1959

